It all kicks off in August with band camp: daylong training sessions in the summer heat for two weeks.
If students at Bordentown Regional High School want to be a part of the marching band, their commitment starts with that. And it grows from there: two three-hour practices a week, regular performances at Scotties’ football games, and eight marching band competitions, in which the bands themselves are the main attraction.
“Our kids put in as much time as any athletic team would do,” says Michael Montalto, director of bands for the Bordentown Regional School District.
For many students, the opportunity to perform for a crowd while doing something that they love is reward enough. But band competitions, in which they vie for trophies with other school bands, give them something else to shoot for. And this year, the BRHS Marching Band made the most of those opportunities.
During the regular season, BRHS took part in eight competitions, with first-place finishes at Hopewell Valley, Jackson Memorial and Hamilton High West and a fourth-place finish out of 20 against tough competition in the state championship, held Oct. 29 at Hillsborough High School.
They capped off the fall with a second-place finish at the USBands A Class National Championships for Group II on Nov. 5 at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown, Pennsylvania. They finished only behind Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan in their group. Bordentown’s percussion section also took home a caption award for best percussion.
Montalto and staff members Cheryl Stallworth-Glitz (assistant band director) and Brianna Potter (color guard adviser) work with the students from August through November to get them ready to peak at nationals. Montalto says he knew going into the state championship that the Scotties would be a top contender.
“I had a really good feeling that we were going to be in the top 3,” he says. “But sometimes it’s hit or miss with the judges.”
They finished fourth, but by a narrow margin — Group II state champs Lenape Valley earned a score of 96.0, followed by Seneca at 95.4, Old Tappan at 93.3 and Bordentown at 92.3, just 3.7 points out of the top spot.
Though they didn’t win states, Bordentown did earn a tangible reward with their fourth-place finish: a better spot in the schedule for nationals. Performing later in the competition is generally advantageous, and champs Old Tappan were the only school to perform after BRHS in the group.
Montalto says that while it would have been nice to finish first, he is content knowing that the marching band’s performance at nationals was its best of the season.
“I always tell the kids, performing your best is what it’s about,” Montalto says.
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In state and national athletics competitions, schools are typically grouped by overall enrollment, with schools of similar sizes competing against one another for championships.
In marching band competitions, bands are grouped not by overall enrollment but by the size of the bands themselves. Bordentown’s 44-member marching band competed this season in Group IIA.
Bands take part not only in an overall competition, but also in several category competitions, including best percussion, best music and best visuals.
This year’s second-place finish overall in nationals follows a number of good results for the marching band in recent years. Bordentown finished third overall in Group III in 2019 and second overall in Group II in 2017. The band took best visual caption honors in 2021, best music caption in 2019, and percussion caption and cadets awards in 2017.
Montalto does not make marching band mandatory for Bordentown’s scholastic musicians, so the size of the band varies year to year.
“I only want the kids that really want to do it to do it,” he says. “Especially with the amount of time and work that goes into it.”
Some students have other commitments in the fall as well. For instance, Bordentown’s concert band, which rehearses during the school day, includes four football players, who would not be available for the marching unit.
On competition days, the marching band students and staff have a whole itinerary that they follow in terms of setting up their rehearsals and performance. But they could not do it alone.
Montalto says the band parents deserve loads of credit for the support they provide throughout the season.
“From helping with props, feeding the kids and loading the buses, it takes a lot of people to make this happen,” he says.
Montalto said Superintendent Trudy Atkins, district administration and the board of education deserve thanks for their support as well.
The Marching Scotties also depend on the leadership of many students over the course of the season. This year’s band was led by drum majors Rachel Cook and Rachel Schiariti and color guard captain Emma Hoffman.
Section leaders included Angelia Demkowicz and Shubham Dhiungra (upper woodwinds), Jillian Gosselin and Jorge Moya (saxophones), Luke Williams (trumpets), Nick Barahona and Jacob Calabro (low brass), Matthew Comeau and Conner Rich (drumline), and Anmol Sidhu (front ensemble). The field manager is Aiden Rich.
“They definite played their best show of the season,” Montalto says. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more. There have been years where we have had successful seasons, but in our performance at nationals, we didn’t do that well. This year we did our best. The band that beat us (Old Tappan) was from New Jersey and I know their director and they always do a great job.”
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Bordentown Regional High School will host its annual winter concert on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in the BRHS Performing Arts Center, 318 Ward Ave., Bordentown NJ 08505. The honors jazz ensemble, concert band and string orchestra are set to perform.
Bordentown Regional High School marching bend members (front row) Rachel Schiariti, Rachel Cook, (middle row) Brandon Rosenblatt, Olivia Olaff, Emma Hoffman, Jo Russo, and (third row) Jorge Moya, Angelina Demkowicz, Matthew Comeau and Jillian Bordentown Regional High School marching bend members (front row) Rachel Schiariti, Rachel Cook, (middle row) Brandon Rosenblatt, Olivia Olaff, Emma Hoffman, Jo Russo, and (third row) Jorge Moya, Angelina Demkowicz, Matthew Comeau and Jillian Gosselin.,
